Learning What is Absinthe Made Of?

Everyone has heard about the enchanting mythical drink, Absinthe – the drink thought to be hallucinogenic, the Green Fairy which may cause you to see fairies, the anise flavoured herbal spirit well-liked in Bohemian Montmartre. But, very few people can answer the question “What is Absinthe made of?”. They might say wormwood though not most will be capable of expand on that!

So, what is Absinthe made of?

Well, Absinthe was created by the legendary Dr Pierre Ordinaire in Switzerland in the late eighteenth century as an elixir for his patients. Henri-Louis Pernod started selling Absinthe commercially at the turn of the 19th century and used a wine base and macerated herbs which includes common wormwood (artemisia absinthium), fennel, green aniseed, hyssop, angelica root, lemon balm, dittany, star anise, nutmeg, veronica and also juniper to flavor and color the alcohol.

Other herbs utilized in Absinthe creation include: calamus root, mint, cloves, sweet flag, licorice, caraway seeds, coriander seeds and roman wormwood (artemisia pontica) also known as petite wormwood. Claude-Alain Bugnon, the famous bootlegger who now distills Absinthe in Switzerland, likewise flavors his La Clandestine Absinthe with local Alpine herbs which give his Absinthe a taste of honey and a bouquet of Alpine meadows.

It’s the essential oils of the herbs in Absinthe which cause the Absinthe to louche when water is put in. The oils are soluble in alcohol yet not in water and thus precipitate if the water is put in making the drink turn cloudy or milky. In case your Absinthe does not louche then it is probably not a real Absinthe or a quality Absinthe abundant in essential oils.

AbsintheKit.com, who make distilled Absinthe essences for people to make real Absinthe in the home, use classic Absinthe herbs to flavor their essences. This implies that Absinthe created from their essences will taste beautifully and will also louche beautifully.

Some Czech Absinth does not consist of anise or aniseed and it is really simply a kind of wormwood bitters. Make sure that you buy real anise and wormwood Absinthe to see the true classic flavor.

The common wormwood plant is regarded as the most renowned Absinthe ingredient, the ingredient which gives Absinthe its somewhat bitter taste and also the ingredient which triggered Absinthe to be restricted in many countries in early 1900s. Originally used since ancient times as a medicine, it grew to become labeled as a psychoactive neurotoxin which trigger psychedelic effects such as hallucinations, convulsion and spasms. Wormwood oil has a chemical substance called thujon or thujone which was compared to THC in cannabis. Absinthe was shown to contain vast amounts of thujone and to result in driving customers to insanity and also to death.

Nonetheless, recent reports and tests have established that vintage Absinthe actually only covered small quantities of thujone, nowhere near enough to be at all damaging. EU and US laws only allow Absinthe with small quantities of thujone to be bought and sold so Absinthe is flawlessly safe to consume and enjoy.

Absinthe is a spirit or liquor not a liqueur as it lacks added sugar. It’s really a high proof alcoholic beverage but is normally served diluted with cold water and sugar. Though it is safe to consume, you have to remember that it is a very strong spirit and definitely will quickly allow you to get drunk particularly if you blend it with other spirits in cocktails!

So, the answer to the question “What is Absinthe made of?” is easily answered – alcohol as well as a combination of herbs.